LT on a bad day was better than Ware in his dreams. He revolutionized the way defense was played in the NFL forever. Ware just makes a terrible defense slightly less terrible. As a Philly guy I'm contractually obligated to hate the Cowboys and Giants, but while I've hated the Cowboys since my first conscious moments (and I didn't grow up in Philly, so you can't blame it on that), I never got the memo on the Giants. If someone other than the Eagles have to win, I never mind if it's the Giants. And I loved watching LT play.

LT on a bad day was better than Ware in his dreams. He revolutionized the way defense was played in the NFL forever. Ware just makes a terrible defense slightly less terrible. As a Philly guy I'm contractually obligated to hate the Cowboys and Giants, but while I've hated the Cowboys since my first conscious moments (and I didn't grow up in Philly, so you can't blame it on that), I never got the memo on the Giants. If someone other than the Eagles have to win, I never mind if it's the Giants. And I loved watching LT play.

-Ray

Click to expand...

LT was better than Ware. I genuinely didn't watch the videos before I threw mud (they didn't show up on my iPad), I just assumed they were of a current player. I should have said Randy White, or Harvey Martin, or Mel Renfro, or Bob Lilly, or Thomas Henderson (or Charles Haley, or Deion Sanders... but they weren't lifetime Cowboys).

And mud slinging aside, LT was one of the greats. His hits could, and did end careers. He didn't just knock people out of the game, he knocked them out of the league.

Too bad it took being a crack head to get to that super human level of aggression.

Click to expand...

From everything I could tell, the super human level of aggression was there right along, along with the super human body and skills. The crack was a by-product, relief valve, catalyst, or whatever combination that came later, once his career was pretty well under way...

From everything I could tell, the super human level of aggression was there right along, along with the super human body and skills. The crack was a by-product, relief valve, catalyst, or whatever combination that came later, once his career was pretty well under way...

-Ray

Click to expand...

Once he started to get drug tested as a condition of his parole, LT was also able to use sex with underage prostitutes as a relief valve. Just because he was a gifted football player doesn't mean he's anything to look up to as a human being.

I'd prefer to look up to Mike Singletary and the late great Deacon Jones - who were comparably great players compared to LT, but were also good people. And BTW, Dick Butkus was a better linebacker, but he played on crappy teams.

If DeMarcus Ware dreams about being better than LT he needs to apologize when he wakes up.

I was a huge NFL fan throughout LTs career, specifically of the Eagles, so I saw him play a lot. But in watching the videos Amin linked I am re-amazed at the speed LT had. Watching him be in a blocked/stopped position and then accelerate through the QB is not something we really see today. He looks more like a big cat attacking prey with that last burst of speed than he does a football player.

While the NFL was big in LTs prime, it has grown wildly since his departure. I can only imagine the status he would enjoy now with big screen HDTVs everywhere to show off his exploits and 24/7 NFL coverage all over the place.

edit: Just a quick reply to Doug's post - I've never considered LT to be any sort of upstanding human being. But that doesn't change my level of amazement at how he played. The Singletary comparison is an interesting one. I think LT was a better physical football player, but I suppose I'd give Singletary the slight nod on the strategic side. Video highlights show that Butkus was an animal, but I never saw him play so it is tough to compare. Really a different game back then I think.

Once he started to get drug tested as a condition of his parole, LT was also able to use sex with underage prostitutes as a relief valve. Just because he was a gifted football player doesn't mean he's anything to look up to as a human being.

I'd prefer to look up to Mike Singletary and the late great Deacon Jones - who were comparably great players compared to LT, but were also good people. And BTW, Dick Butkus was a better linebacker, but he played on crappy teams.

Click to expand...

Never said, implied, thought, or even considered the possibility that he was even remotely anyone to look up to. There was a recent documentary about him on one of the cable movie channels (Showtime, HBO, one of them) about him in his older age. Seems like he's almost as messed up now as he ever was, but with some regrets. It painted the picture of a really sad wasted human being who pulled off some amazing athletic feats in his time, but was never anyone's idea of a role model, most particularly his own kids.

When considering remarkably talented and accomplished individuals, whether in sports, entertainment, politics, business, whatever, one often has to separate the person from their accomplishments. The accomplishments are often great, the people are very often not.

Once he started to get drug tested as a condition of his parole, LT was also able to use sex with underage prostitutes as a relief valve. Just because he was a gifted football player doesn't mean he's anything to look up to as a human being.

I'd prefer to look up to Mike Singletary and the late great Deacon Jones - who were comparably great players compared to LT, but were also good people. And BTW, Dick Butkus was a better linebacker, but he played on crappy teams.

Click to expand...

I don't think any of us are putting LT forward as a role model. We could have a thread about great people and maybe not even need to name a football player. However, LT was an amazing, amazing football player, and that was true prior to cocaine use. If crack made people play like LT, crack use would be much more prevalent in high school, college, and pro football. More likely it has a detrimental effect on athletic performance.

I don't think any of us are putting LT forward as a role model. We could have a thread about great people and maybe not even need to name a football player. However, LT was an amazing, amazing football player, and that was true prior to cocaine use. If crack made people play like LT, crack use would be much more prevalent in high school, college, and pro football. More likely it has a detrimental effect on athletic performance.

Edit: Ray beat me to it.

Click to expand...

LT was likely a drug user even in college. And he has admitted that throughout his career, he beat drug tests by submitting other people's urine. He's one step above O.J. Simpson on the list of least admirable former great football players.